Doesn't Know She's Perfect
by BlueGreenGrey
Summary: KaiMariah...Ray was never very good at English, so, after failing to write a coherent mash note, begs Kai to write a poem and letter for him to give to Mariah. Feelings are realized, friendships tested, and stalkers humiliated in a humorous way!
1. Begging

Doesn't Know She's Perfect  
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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Beyblade, for no one could possibly fathom the utter havoc I would unleash within it...

**Warnings:** This is a KaiMariah fic...also, I wrote and own the poem "Doesn't Know She's Perfect", I will consent to any lovestruck persons using this poem to further improve their love lives, but I require credit to be given to A.C. Dittmar (that's me)...it was originally written as "Doesn't Know He's Perfect", but I like this version better. If you want to read the original version, look at my bio, at the bottom of it you'll find a link that takes you to my MSN space, where you can read it.  
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Chapter One  
Begging  
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Kon Ray groaned in frustration as he looked at his love letter. It had poor grammer, several misspelled words, and the least original poem ever created strewn throughout it's chaos. He sighed and grabbed his ponytail, giving it a hard jerk, trying to force inspiration through pain and desperation.

This of course did nothing but cause him to curse loudly, recieving reprimanding looks from the study hall professor. He attempted to recite the poem quietly, "Roses are red, violets are blue, honey is sweet, but not as sweet as you." adding a slight emphasis on the words, "honey", and "you".

The poem was no more satisfying when read that way, in fact, it was even less so. He smacked his forehead down onto the table and stayed like that, hearing some giggles from the gosipping class around him. He let out another groan, _'Poetry was created simply so that girls and teachers could torture me...'_ he thought, feeling the table shift slightly as someone sat themselves in the chair next to his.

He peeked out of the corner of his eye, seeing his best friend, Hiwitari Kai, sitting and opening his math book. "Kai, you're good at writing and all of that other junk, right?" Ray asked, though it was slightly muffled through the table. Kai glanced up briefly, "If you mean 'English', then yes, I am well-versed in it."

Ray picked his head up and thrust his love letter onto the slate and navy haired blader's homework. Kai picked it up and read it over quickly. He looked at the tangerine eyed Chinese, and let a few moments pass before speaking, "If you're hitting on me, then I'll have to deny that I know you."

Ray frowned, glaring at the smirking Russian, "It's for Mariah, you smartass! I want to ask her out, but it's suicide to just go up and ask her, so I'm going to write a love letter and sign it as 'Your Secret Admirer', asking her to meet me by the flagpole after school later today."

Kai raised an eyebrow, "You can't even sign your own name? You do realize that if anyone knew this, you'd go from being the most popular guy in school to being a 'pussy' and a 'fag', right?" Ray nodded with an almost sage-like expression, "That's why I'm asking _you_ to revise it for me, you don't talk to _anyone_, so my rep won't be destroyed. Besides, _I'm_ only the second most popular guy in school, _you're_ the most popular."

The crimson eyed teen scoffed at his logic, "Aside from the fact that you're being a complete wuss, and that if I ratted you out that my own reputation would be tarnished, what makes you think that I would revise something so pointless as a mash note?"

"Because you have the top English grade in the entire high school, and I'm your best friend?" the raven haired boy asked hopefully. Kai smirked, his eyes narrowing, "Do it yourself." Ray sighed, "I thought that you might say that, so I have prepared a 'Plan B'." With that, he quickly fell to the ground and grabbed hold of the other teen's black cargo jeans, and began to beg, "Please, Kai! I _need_ you to do this! You don't understand what it's like to be single! Oh, wait, yes you do...you've never really had a girlfriend..."

Kai pulled his "best friend" up by his ponytail and shoved him back into his seat, "Keep your mouth shut about that! I have enough stalkers as it is! If everyone knew that I was single, I'd have to get a bigger mailbox to hold all of the mash notes that would get sent to me, _and_ more attack dogs to patrol the grounds of my manor so that they can't break in and, possibly, rape me! And don't ever get that close to me again, people will start to think that we're gay!" he whispered furiously, eyes darting around to see if they had attracted any attention.

"Does this mean that you'll help me write my letter?" Ray asked hopefully, brushing wrinkles off of his white shirt. Kai growled lowly, "You're lucky I don't staple your mouth shut..." he grit out, reaching for the letter. He scanned it, almost grimacing at it's horrible structure, "Now I know why you keep failing English..."

Nonetheless, Kai grabbed his pencil, erasing many things, replacing them with much more eloquent and better-placed words, and frowning at Ray's nearly unintelligible handwriting. "You'll need a different poem...this is the lamest excuse of a mash note that I've ever read, and I have read _alot_ of those trivial things." Kai said with a smirk as he handed the paper back to his hopeless friend.

Ray compared his own handwriting to Kai's, finding that Kai's was definitely easier to read. "I have an idea!"

"Oh no..." Kai groaned, mocking the long haired boy next to him. "Hear me out! You write alot of poetry, right? I've read your poetry before, it's way better than anything I could come up with! Besides, if I took anything out of a book, Mariah would be able to tell that I didn't write it, because she reads alot of poetry...so, why don't you write the poem for me?"

"What!" Kai yelled, causing the teacher to look up in surprise. Ray flinched at the volume of the question, "Please? With your poetry on that letter, I'll be sure to win the heart of the girl of my dreams! I don't want to be turned down, especially not by the hottest girl in school!"

"You've asked some ludicrous things before, Ray, but this is, by far, the worst request I have yet to hear. If I give you one of my poems and let you put your name on it, that would mean that you would be taking all of the credit for it! It's wrong to win over girls with lies, Ray!"

Ray got on his knees again, "I know, Kai...but I've tried to work up the courage to ask Mariah out for three years...now that I'm finally brave enough to ask her out, I know that anything that _I_ write would be a waste of time! Please don't make me throw away three years of trying to win her heart, _please_, Kai!"

Kai waited a few moments and then reluctantly spat out, "Fine...and what did I say about being that close to me?" Ray quickly got up, happiness shining in his eyes, "Thank you so much, Kai! You're not going to regret this! I'll do anything to pay you back!"

Kai rolled his eyes and started to put his math book away, then looked at the praising teen next to him, "Whatever, just leave me alone for a while...I'll have it finished by the end of study hall." Ray nodded, and, knowing that Kai hated people hovering over his shoulder as he wrote, left to find a different seat. He turned back slowly, "Would you mind writing the whole thing so that she can read it?" he asked, turning quickly once a growl became audible.

The slate and navy haired boy pulled out his English binder, openning it to a fresh sheet of lined paper. He stared at it for awhile, only managing to further his frustration when no words of sweet romance surfaced in his mind. "Damn..." he whispered in aggravation, looking at how much time he had left. Only twenty minutes.

"Shit..." he cursed lowly, looking at the love letter for "inspiration". The word "perfect" caught his eye, and he grabbed his pencil. He had never written so fast in his entire life, his knuckles were white and his eyes were darting around the paper, searching for mistakes, so fast that, to a passerby, it would seem as though they would spin out of their sockets.

"I can't believe that something which that imbesile wrote could possibly inspire such a sappy, but well-written poem..." he said to himself, looking at the clock again. He had five minutes before class would let out. _'Might as well...'_ he thought, grabbing a new sheet of paper and recopying the entire love letter, poem and all.

He set his pencil down just as Ray waltzed over to see if he was finished, "Well?" he asked. Kai smirked, holding the letter signed "Your Secret Admirer" out to Ray, "Done." he stated, the bell ringing as Ray grabbed the letter, stuffing it in his pocket.

"You're not going to read it?" Kai asked sceptically. Ray grinned, "No, I trust you not to write anything that might make her hate me in it. Besides, why read it if I already know that it's good enough?" Kai just exhaled, grabbed his messenger bag and binder, and walked out of the classroom.

Ray shrugged, but headed toward Mariah's locker. He knew that she wouldn't be there yet, seeing as her class was farther away than study hall, so he slipped the note through one of the slits at the top. After hearing it fall to the bottom with a satisfying rustle, he started to head to his next class.

Mariah came into the hall the same time as Ray departed, and turned the combonation padlock on the front until it clicked. As the door squeaked open, she noticed the intricate handwriting on a folded paper that said "Mariah". The pink haired teen picked it up slowly, unfolding it reluctantly. She was always getting mash notes, but she read them because, ocainsionally, they would hold a joke, or a good poem.

Her eyes widened as she read her way through the letter, the words weaving together before her very eyes like an artistic masterpiece:

_"My Dear Mariah,_

_I hope that these words of mine can express how much I wish that you could truly understand the magnitude of how perfect I believe that you are..._

_My angel doesn't know she's perfect in everything she does_

_She doesn't know that, if she left, my world would crumble and rust_

_I've tried so hard to tell her that I love her in every way_

_But she looks at me and says, "Only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays."_

_I want to watch my angel after she's fallen asleep_

_My heart was hers the moment we met, now and forever, hers to keep_

_If she would only hold my hand as gently as she could within her grace_

_My arms would wrap around her, and my lips would caress her face_

_She cannot see the ivory wings that rest upon her back_

_She cannot hear my heart pounding when it's her presence I lack_

_Her every touch is wholy pure, and lingers on my mind_

_And I've never met another angel as beautiful, or as kind_

_My angel works hard everyday to make sure that everything turns out alright_

_Yet she still doesn't know why I want to listen to her breathe during the night_

_I want her to know why I've chosen her over every other girl_

_I want to kiss her cheek and whisper, "It's because you are my world."_

_Time would stand still if I could be in her arms_

_I promise that, to her, will come no harm_

_I want to say that I would give my life for her_

_I want to wake up next to her as, in the morning, she stirs_

_She doesn't know that she's beyond perfect in my eyes_

_If anyone's spoken badly of her, then they're telling lies_

_My world could shatter and fall to the ground_

_And I wouldn't care at all, because of the way my heart begins to pound_

_The only thing I want is for her to hold me tight_

_For her to sit beside me and say, "Everything will be alright."_

_My heart yearns, and throbs loudly within my ears_

_I wish that she would just smile, arm around my waist, and pull me near_

_If she could see her beautiful wings, then she might understand_

_Why I seem so eager to take my angel's hand_

_I wish that I could rest, wrapped in her arms, wish that I could believe_

_Wish, pray, and hope that my perfect angel would never want to leave..._

_Mariah, you are perfect to me...please take my words to heart and meet me by the flagpole directly after school...I'll be waiting for you there..._

_Love Always,_

_Your Secret Admirer"_

Mariah gasped at it's eloquence, earning the attention of the girl who owned the locker next to hers, Salima. "What're you looking at? Is it another love letter? Those boys will never learn..." Mariah simply pushed the poem into her ruby haired friend's hands, indicating that she wanted her to read it.

Once Salima had finished, she gapingly looked up at the orange eyed Chinese, "If you don't go and meet this 'Secret Admirer', then I will! That is the most romantic note that you've gotten so far, Mariah! I've already fallen in love with him through his poetry!"

Mariah smiled brightly, "You really think that I should meet him?" she asked shyly. Salima nodded profusely, "Any guy who'd put that much effort into a mash note deserves a chance!" she clarified, grabbing Mariah's arm and beginning to tug her off to class.

"Let's go, we don't want to be late for English, or Mrs. Cadence will never let us hear the end of it!" Mariah laughed and ran toward the classroom with her best friend. _'I wonder who my secret admirer is, though?'_ She glanced discreetly around the room from her desk in the back row, right next to Salima's desk.

None of the students in her class were good enough at poetry to write anything like that, which meant that it had to be an upperclassmen. _'But I don't know any upperclassmen...'_ she thought despairingly, looking to the clock for comfort. She found none though, because the clock only seemed to move more slowly the longer she stared at it.

_'This is going to take forever!'  
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Well, that's my first chapter! I tried to keep Kai in character, but because he's such a shady guy, it was difficult, so please don't flame me for any OOCness!

I don't really think that my poem is anything like an "artistic masterpiece", but I do pride myself on having written a beautiful poem that isn't dripping with teenage angst...

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Please review!


	2. How to be Unwittingly Romantic 101

Doesn't Know She's Perfect  
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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Beyblade, for no one could possibly fathom the utter havoc I would unleash within it...  
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Chapter Two  
How to be Unwittingly Romantic 101  
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Mariah and Salima were in eleventh grade, and attended Hirashi High School as the two most sought after Juniors in the school district. They had been best friends since they were fourteen, and live in the same apartment complex. Mariah and Salima, though they were young women, were highly respected.

Neither came from wealthy families, and Mariah was Chinese, but they are worshiped by men who have seen them because they were beautiful, but not shallow or unintelligent. Strong, but not egotistical. Cheerful, but not overly-optimistic. The seventeen year olds were also on the honor roll and had the top grades in most of their classes.

Salima glanced over at her best friend, who was drumming her fingers on the desk, looking to be the epitome of the word "boredom" as she dully looked at the blackboard. The book she had been reading lay opened on her desk, on the same page it had been ten minutes ago.

Mrs. Cadence had given them the entire class to read, but Mariah had only made three pages of progress. "Mariah?" Salima whispered as she lay her head down on her desk and pulled her own book up, concealing her from the view of her teacher.

There was no response from her friend, so she tried again, "Mariah?" came the whispred query from behind the book. Still, no response came. Salima grinned as she to notice of her rubber eraser. She picked it up and quietly tore a chunk from it, flinging the nearly useless thing at the face of the girl next to her.

The pink eraser hit its mark: Mariah's cheek. This was enough to make Mariah jump in startlement and glare over at her best friend, waiting for an explanation. "You were zoning," came the whispered reply to the demanding look, "I had to wake you up somehow."

"You could have just whispered, you know." Mariah stated quietly, placing her book in the same position as the redhead beside her. "I did, you were just busy prancing around in your own little world." Her expression grew serious, "What were you thinking about? Wait no," she said as Mariah began to whisper, "The love letter, right?" Mariah nodded.

"Are you nervous?" Salima asked the pink haired Chinese, who shook her head, "No, just wondering about who wrote that poem. Another thing, my secret admirer's handwriting was very handsome, most men have sloppy handwriting." Salima's eyes widened, " I noticed that, too. No one in our grade has neat handwriting, and any lower grades are basicly kids out of the Junior High, but poetry workshops and English courses that include a poetry unit aren't taken by Sophomores or Freshmen."

"See, my secret admirer _has_ to be a Senior, it's only logical." Mariah concluded. Salima nodded and began to open her mouth to say something, but was stopped by the sight of Mrs. Cadence standing behind Mariah. "Talking during class, again, you two?" she asked sternly, looking down at them through her thick-framed spectacles.

"We're terribly sorry, Mrs. Cadence, it won't happen again." Mariah assured the frowning woman. Charlotte Cadence's frown only deepened, "You are correct in believing that it will not happen again, as the two of you will be attending a thirty minute detention after school. And because this is your last class of the day, I will be expecting the both of you to stay in your seats once the bell has rung."

Both girls looked incredulously at the young teacher, though Salima was the first to speak, "But Mrs. Cadence, I have to ride the bus." The auburn haired woman nodded, "Then your bus shall be notified of your delay." Salima nodded and glared at the words on the pages of her book.

"Do you have a bus to ride, as well, Miss Wong?" the violet eyed teacher asked, but the younger woman shook her head. Silently despairing that she was going to be late for her meeting with her poetic admirer. Mrs. Cadence nodded curtly and made her way to her desk at the front of the class.

Mariah looked around to see many eyes focused on her, but they were drawn abruptly away as Mrs. Cadence called out to the class, "Eyes on your books, please." Mariah silently thanked her with a smile, glad to be rid of her embarassment.

Twenty minutes and five chapters in her book later, Mariah heard the bell ring, signaling the rustle of books being put away and chairs being set atop desks. Salima cursed quietly at their predicament, but Mariah just focused on the clock, her mind distracted once again.

The tangerine eyed Junior's head was filled with notions of sweet romance. She invisioned a strong, brilliant, and handsome Senior that would carry her books, walk her home, and call her every night. She pictured her older brother, Lee, meeting him and, for the first time ever, actually approving of her choice in a boyfriend.

Salima spent the thirty minutes of Hell with her chin resting on her hand and her fingers drumming against her desk to a tune that only she knew. So she glared at the clock, trying to make it move faster with her mind. Or that's what it would've looked like to a stranger, she was really just wishing that it would burst into flame.

The clock inched it's way along, though, and once it reached thirty minutes, Mrs. Cadence looked at the girls with a smile. "I will call your bus, Salima, and tell them that you are on your way. You may both leave now."

The red haired girl shot out of her seat and slung her backpack over her shoulder, looking to her friend. Salima sighed once she saw that Mariah had spaced again, and shook her best friend's shoulder, "Come on, it's time to get out of here."

The shaking of the joint snapped Mariah out of her romantic daze, so she grabbed her blood-red messenger bag, slinging it around one shoulder, and walked with her friend out of the classroom. "Have a pleasant evening, ladies." Mrs. Cadence said, bidding them goodbye as they shut the classroom door.

"I thought the thirty minutes would _never_ end!" Salima spoke, exasperated. Her face then took on an apologetic expression, "She said that she was going to call my bus, so I don't have any time to spare. I'm sorry that I can't go with you to meet your knight in shining armor." Mariah smiled slightly, "That's alright. I'll come over later and tell you how it went!"

"No, I'm really sorry. This guy sounds like a real catch!" Then two friends laughed a little before parting ways, Salima heading toward the parking lot to catch her bus, and Mariah heading out to the main entrance to meet her secret admirer, and wait for her older brother, Lee.

Even though Mariah and her red haired best friend lived in the same building, they did not both ride the school bus. The neighborhood that the pink haired girl and Salima lived in was a very rough part of town, and most of the teenagers that road the bus were thugs. Mariah could have probably handled them, seeing as Salima puts up with them twice a day, but Lee, being the over-protective brother that he is, would have none of that. So, instead, he drops off and picks up his little sister from school everyday.

Lee was nineteen, already graduated from high school, and worked a steady job so he could support himself and Mariah, rather than send letters home every month to China, asking for money. They both came to Japan searching for better opportunities. Lee wanted a better job, and Mariah wanted to attend a Japanese high school.

_'Here goes nothing...I hope I didn't make him wait too long...'_ the cat-like girl thought as she began to push open the first set of doors that led into the entryway of the school building.  
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At the Flagpole  
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Hiwitari Kai leaned up against the flagpole with his arms crossed and eyes closed, his black messenger bag at his feet, and a slight frown on his face. The frown was present because, in front of him, paced a very anxious Kon Ray. The Russian opened his crimson eyes and glared at the Chinese teenager pacing before him.

"If you must continue to do that, then I will be forced to beat you into the very path you have created with your pacing." he stated with a well-aimed glare. The raven haired boy stopped and put a sheepish hand behind his neck, "Sorry, Kai, I'm just so nervous!"

"Well, stop." Kai bluntly stated, closing his eyes, his arms once again crossing in front of his chest. Ray scuffed the heel of his foot against the ground, "But she hasn't shown up and it's been almost a _half an hour_! What if she didn't find the letter! What if I put it in the wrong locker! What if she stood me up!"

The slate and navy haired teen was becoming agitated. In fact, if Ray didn't stop ranting, and quickly, Kai was going to hit him. And if Kai hit him, he wouldn't be getting back up. Luckily for Ray, a twinge in his abdomen caused him to glance frantically at his best friend.

"Kai, will you stand here for a few minutes?" The man in question opened one eye to glare at the pony-tailed teen, "And what, exactly, do you think I've been doing for the past _twenty-five_ minutes?" Ray had a slightly worried look in his orange eyes as he looked at his Russian friend, "I just need you to stand here and wait for Mariah while I go to the bathroom, I've been holding it for ten minutes and it's not going to wait any longer!"

Kai smirked, intending to prolong the urethral misery of the blue-jeaned boy, "What if she comes? What do I do then?" Ray looked desperate now, "_Please_, Kai! Don't make me switch to 'Plan B'!" Kai glared, "Fine, go take your piss." Ray took off, shouting a "Thank you!" over his shoulder as he ran into the school building.

If he hadn't been running so fast, he may have caught Mariah and Salima coming out of Mrs. Cadence's English class thirty minutes late. Alas, he ran around the corner and into the men's room too quickly to notice either girl.

_'She's probably not even coming...I'm standing here, waiting, when I could be driving home. Soon as Ray gets out here, I'm leaving, whether she shows up, or not...'_ Kai thought in frustration, closing his eyes and resting against the flagpole again, waiting to hear the sound of the school doors opening so he could get into his black Mustang GT and drive home.

Soon, the woosh of air entering the building behind him alerted him to the fact that the doors had been opened. He stood there, waiting until the person approached him to open his eyes. When his lids had, at last, lifted, he was greeted by, not black, but pink hair.

"Wong Mariah." he stated, uncrossing his arms and standing up straight. "Hiwitari Kai?" she asked unbelievingly, "Do you know anything about a poem?" Kai smirked slightly, "'_If she could see her beautiful wings, then she might understand...Why I am so eager to take my angel's hand...I wish that I could rest, wrapped in her arms, wish that I could believe...Wish, pray, and hope that my perfect angel would never want to leave...'_...is it something along those lines?"

Mariah's expression brightened immensely after hearing him recite the ending of the poem. "That's exactly right." she looked him up and down, something Kai was used to people doing, and noted that his features, especially his dark crimson eyes, were all very attractive. He was handsome, even through the black, semi-gothic clothes, and was obviously strong. She had seen him at a few of the poetry workshops and knew, just from his poetic work, that he was brilliant.

He wore a black t-shirt that had the band name "Stone Sour" on it in thick, crimson letters, a red belt with black Jolly Rogers on it, and black cargo pants. He even wore a spiked necklace as a bracelet, wrapped twice around his arm. He wasn't a very gloomy person, judging from rumors she had heard, but he _was_ anti-social. This only seemed to make him even _more _appealing to the gay men and ladies, because it had deemed him "unobtainable". This made him, his "fuck-off" attitude, pirate's belt, spiked bracelet, black clothing, and band t-shirts the most sought after things in Hirashi High School.

As she looked him up and down, Kai began to ponder just what, exactly, Ray found so special about Mariah. He wouldn't deny that she was attractive, but pink just wasn't a very appealing color to him. Her eyes were the same color as Ray's, but they both came from China, so maybe tangerine eyes were common in that country.

She also wore pink most days, but today, she had decided to go with black, slightly baggy cargos and a blood-red, skin tight t-shirt. In the back of his mind, he mused that the look worked for her. If it had been any other shade of red, then her bright colored hair would have clashed horribly with it. He also noted that she carried a messenger bag, and it was the same brand as his, only crimson. It surprised him that someone like _her_ would have such a grimly colored bag at their waist, but that was all he thought of it.

Mariah blushed slightly, "I'm sorry that I was late, Mrs. Cadence held me in a thirty minute detention...I really loved the poem." He nodded gruffly and began to say something along the lines of "your secret admirer is in the bathroom", but was cut off when the window from a newly-arrived, beat up, pick-up truck was rolled down to reveal the dark haired and glaring face of Wong Lee. "Mariah, hurry up! I have to work tonight, so get in the truck!"

"I'm coming!" she shouted as she headed toward the truck, Kai followed and opened the rusted door. She smiled, and spoke after he shut the door, and before her older brother could try and run him over for talking to his little sister, "I'll see you after school at the flagpole tomorrow, okay?" And before Kai could explain the mistake that she had made, the truck lurched forward, and he barely had time to jump backward before his toes were met with the right rear tire.

"Shit..." he cursed as he watched the Ford truck speed out of the front parking lot. He reached into his large pockets and pulled out his car keys as he walked back to the flagpole to retrieve his messenger bag. "Goddamnit..." he cursed again, as he pulled the strap of the black bag over his head and onto his shoulder.

"What are you cussing for? If anyone should be swearing, it's me for being stood up." Ray said as he walked up, having just come out of the school doors, looking very relieved. Kai shook his head in frustration, "You weren't stood up. She walked up shortly after you left to go to the bathroom."

Ray brightened considerably, "And?" Kai glanced at him, "And she'll meet you here after school tomorrow. I'm going home now, as I've wasted enough time standing here." With that he walked toward his Mustang, looking forward to a silent drive home, and a quiet two hours to walk his pure black German Shepard, Ward.

His tranquil thoughts were soon spoiled as Ray called out to him, "Hey, do you mind giving me a ride home? I kind of missed my bus." Kai growled and flipped him off, but Ray followed anyway, knowing that the guesture, at least from the Russian, was merely an act of sarcasm. Kai grunted as Ray sat down in the passenger seat, and turned the ignition.

The mp3 player began to play "Bother" by Stone Sour, the slate and navy haired eighteen year old's favorite band, and Kai's bad mood diminished slightly with each note. Eventually, he tuned out Ray's words and drowned his senses, or at least the ones that weren't assisting him to drive, in the music.  
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In Lee's Truck  
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The ride was fairly silent except for the abrasive humming of the motor as Lee drove toward their apartment. Eventually, as Mariah feared, the subject of "Who was that man you were speaking with, little sis?" arose. The younger sibling sighed, "That was Hiwitari Kai, a Senior at my school, who just happens to like poetry as much as I do."

"So he's just someone from your 'poetry workshop' thing?" the lion-like brother asked. Mariah hesitantly answered, "I _have_ seen him in my poetry workshops, but we've never really _talked_ before." Lee's eyebrows raised slightly, but he knew how to corner his sister, "And why were you talking just now, if you've never really talked before?"

Mariah looked over at her brother and sighed, deciding that saying it outright would be less of a hassle, "We were talking just now, because he slipped a letter in my locker signed 'Your Secret Admirer', and I will be meeting him tomorrow by the flagpole, _again_."

She glared slightly as she saw the frown on her older brother's face, but cut him off before he could speak, "I'm not going to listen if you're about to tell me 'I forbid you to ever see him again'. I'm not a little girl anymore, I'm seventeen, and I'm the one dating him, _not_ you."

Lee glared at the younger woman, "I _will_ say that I like his shirt...but you will be required to arrange for him to meet me." Mariah smiled brightly, glad that, for once, her brother was not complaining so much about her taste in men.  
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**NOTE TO ALL REVIEWERS:** Thank you so much! Your praise has inspired me, and I know exactly what to do with this story now. You are wonderful reviewers, and I hope to see a steady review or two from the lot of you! However, I will not be able to type up the next chapter for two or three weeks, because it is summer vacation, and I will be at my father's house. I _will_ get it typed up and uploaded after then, though, I promise!

I very much like the title that I picked out for this chapter, I also enjoyed writing this! Do you think that I did a good job capturing the "over-protective older brother" in Lee?

Are there any Stone Sour fans out there? I _will_ be placing one of their songs into a future chapter...

Yes, Kai is still amazingly wealthy, and Russian. I think I did better on getting him into character in this chapter, but I shall let you, my readers, decide!

As an answer to one of my reviews, I _may_ place an angsty poem in a future chapter, but I know that there _will_ be at least one more sappy love poem installed at a later date.

Requests for one-shots, poems, plotlines, and _some_ character pairings are generally accepted, so feel free to tell me what you, as a reader or author, want! Please review, I need the encouragement!


	3. Home At Last

Doesn't Know She's Perfect  
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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Beyblade, for no one could possibly fathom the utter havoc I would unleash within it...Chapter Three  
Home At Last  
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Kai glared at the retreating form of his best friend. He had just dropped Ray off at his house, and was cursing his bad luck once again. He let out a sigh of exasperation and faced forward as he began to drive off. The poem ran through his head as he paused for a stop sign, and he gripped the steering wheel tighter. Hiwitari Kai did _not_ like it when others claimed his work as their own. In fact, the last kid who'd done that was on the receiving end of the Russian kickboxing expert's wrath.

The boy who dared to invoke his fury didn't show his face in the halls of the school for a week. And once he did come back to school, forced there by his parents, he was already deemed a cheater, and was avoided as if he were under quarantine. Most of the students wouldn't interact with him because they feared that they, too, would face Kai's anger, and others wouldn't be seen with him because of the mere fact that he was a cheater.

The entire school found out that the teen stole Kai's work because, although he is quite useless in many areas, Kon Ray has a big mouth...and Ray told _everyone_. This was, of course, planned by Kai. Though he may not do anything directly, apart from making them bleed and cry, to the thief, he makes sure that the job gets done completely, and right.

Perhaps the reason that he had allowed Ray to use his poem was because Kai was never particularly fond of "romantic, lovey dovey, ", which was how he so lovingly labeled it. It may have been that Ray was his best friend, but Kai didn't feel that was the reason. He was a loner, Ray was just _always_ there.

The slate and navy haired Senior heard the satisfying crunch of the gravel beneath his tires as he pulled into the driveway of his large home. He knew that Ward would be sitting next to the door, patiently waiting for his daily walk.

The house was large, but in a well-off neighborhood, so Kai's neighbors generally left the teen to himself. It was two stories tall, with a full basement. The home had become, over the years he had lived in Japan, a sort of haven for the Hiwitari heir. His grandfather, Voltaire, in Russia was becoming too overbearing on his grandson, always trying to make him prove that he was worthy of the fortune that would be passed onto him once his grandfather died, whether it was through physical labor, grades, or board games.

Voltaire had, over time, developed a nearly obsessive love for chess, and was constantly forcing Kai to duel against him. Kai always won, as his grandfather had only just earned a respect for the game, and also, because he was an expert chess player, but his grandfather persistently attempted to get him to verse him again. Kai believed that it was because the old man had everything that money could buy, and wasn't sure what to do next.

Needless to say, Kai grew less fond of the game over the span of a year...

The insanity halted once Kai had a stroke of brilliance, and demanded that he would be allowed to attend a Japanese school. He claimed that he wanted to get a feel for the other half of his heritage...and his grandfather bought it. Voltaire insisted on getting a mansion retreat built in a secluded area, but Kai refused and opted, instead, for the large home that he has grown fond of. Besides, he wouldn't know what to do with all of the space in the mansion that his grandfather wanted to build.

Kai discovered that he very much liked living in Japan, and that the other half of his heritage was quite an interesting culture. After all, he was born and raised in Moscow, and even the cold-hearted like to get away from all the snow and seclusion once in awhile.

Kai opened the driver's door and got out of his Mustang GT, locking the glossy black vehicle and heading up the path toward his front door. As the doorknob turned, he heard Ward's claws scrape against the hardwood floor as the German Shepard stood up. Soon as the door had opened, Ward was nudging Kai's hand with his snout, looking, appealingly, up at his master.

The crimson eyed teen scratched the black fur behind Ward's ears and headed toward the only other human occupant of the house's room. He knocked and the bedroom door was answered by Nicholai, the elderly servant that prepared most of Kai's meals and kept the house in order. Nicholai was fifty-two, and had been serving the Hiwitari family since he was twenty-six. He was a kind old man with blizzard white short hair, beard and moustache. Though Kai hated the fact that Nicholai was employed to be there, he very much enjoyed the humor that Nicholai found in small things. The man was very observant, very productive, and very dangerous.

Nicholai was a very skilled martial artist and kick boxer. He was Kai's instructor since the boy could walk in the art of self-defense. Kai had grown to see the old man as a second father, seeing as his parents both died in a tragic car accident when he was young. The night of his parents' deaths, was the first and last night that Hiwitari Kai has ever cried...and, because he was the only one truly fit to comfort the boy, Nicholai is the only person to have ever seen him cry. The Russian teen has been forever grateful of Nicholai's silence on the matter.

Though Kai insisted that he did not need a bodyguard, as he was fully trained and had bested his teacher several times, his grandfather sent Nicholai to Japan with him. The slate and navy haired boy has told Nicholai, time and again, that he needn't do so much work, but the old man would just laugh and say, "I do believe that my feeble bones can handle some light cooking and cleaning, Kai." Nicholai preferred to be called by his name, and was very glad that Kai didn't mind _not_ being called "Master Hiwitari".

"Nicholai, I'm going to take my backpack to my room and then take Ward for his walk. Is there anything that I should get from the store while I'm out?" Kai generally asked this to lighten the load on Nicholai's schedule. If he didn't really care about the old man, then Nicholai would be the one walking Ward.

"There is nothing that is needed, Kai, but thank you for asking." Nicholai responded, as he usually did. He knew what Kai was up to, and was grateful for the rests in his routine that were given generously to him by the teen. Kai nodded, and walked up the stairs as the bearded elder headed toward the kitchen, making preparations for dinner.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about Kai's bedroom. It had a mahogany desk, which was littered with various papers and his laptop, a double-doored closet, crimson walls that were covered in band posters, a black futon in the corner of the room, and a large window with the blinds pulled shut that faced the driveway. The aspect that Kai liked most about his room, were the bookshelves that lined two entire walls with their knowledge. They were from many different countries, as Kai knew many languages, and kept him occupied when he wasn't finishing his schoolwork.

Another shelf was next to the place in which he slept and dreamed, filled with cds. There were cds from many of the bands that decorated his walls. Stone Sour, Linkin Park, Staind, Eve 6, Bush, Fuel, Garbage, Blink 182, and Cold were the ones that were listened to most often, so they were the ones placed next to the cd player on the top shelf.

Kai tossed his black messenger bag onto the futon, and headed back downstairs, grabbing Ward's black leash and hooking it onto the spiked collar that the dog wore once he reached the front door. As they headed out the door, Nicholai looked out from the kitchen, about to ask how Kai's day went, but saw that the door had already been shut. He smiled, knowing that he could ask later.

The Russian teen looked around him before his gaze rested on Ward, who was keeping pace at his master's heel. Ward had been a gift from Nicholai once they had moved to Japan. The dog had been trained by Nicholai after he had walked in the door with the black bundle of fur perched in his arms. From then on, Ward had become another gooey string of glue that held the household together.

As the duo walked, Kai's thoughts whirled around inside his head, until he eventually ended up remembering the "incident" at the flagpole. He frowned as he remembered that Mariah's brother had tried to run him over. "Crazy jackass, I was only being polite to his sister..." Ward looked up at the frowning boy, cocking his head slightly to the right in confusion.

Kai looked down at the sudden motion, and patted the dog's head, "Don't worry about me, Ward, I'm just thinking out loud." The animal that was being spoken to started to wag his tail, understanding by Kai's slight smirk that his master was just a little irritated.

Ward barked lowly, a whine escaping his throat as he wagged his tail even more eagerly once they got to the park, some thirty minutes later, anxiously awaiting his chance to get off the leash. They walked into the lit, grassy area and Kai unhooked Ward's leash to let him run around for a bit before they headed back home.With Mariah  
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Mariah's ride home was silent, so she began to ponder everything and anything. Eventually, later than most girls her age would have, she thought about her secret admirer, or, who she believed him to be, Hiwitari Kai. He was the dream of most girls at Hirashi High School, and Mariah had known since she began to attend school with him that he was very attractive.

When she thought back far enough, she realized that he was actually the first person that caught her interest. He was so secluded, always sitting by himself...or at least he used to sit alone, as he seemed to find company in the form of one Kon Ray. Ray was, obviously, the more talkative of the two. Kai, however, was the quiet, productive one. He worked diligently on whatever gained his attention, and seemed involved enough with whatever that thing was to block his loud friend.

Later, when she asked Salima about the Russian boy, as her red-haired friend seemed to always know things before she did, she had replied that there was no chance of ever making him interested. He was the coldest resident of the school, and no matter how many admirers he had, he took no notice of them at all.

Everyone knew that he was rich; they knew how the Hiwitari family ran practically all business that went on in Russia. Several students thought that Kai was just some spoiled, stuck-up brat that thought that he was too good to associate with common riff raff like them. Others thought that the grey and blue haired teen was a trained assassin, sent to Japan on a mission to kill some big business tycoon.

Truth be told, there were many rumors circulating the school about the crimson eyed boy, the assassin theory being the second farthest from the truth. The most obscure was the rumor that Kai was in Japan to find a wife...after the stalkers got a hold of that bit of false information, Kai's daily routine had gone to the dogs, and didn't revert to normalcy for a month.

Soon, though, Mariah was shaken from her train of thought as her brother stopped the beat up truck in front of their apartment complex. Mariah grabbed her crimson messenger bag and exited the vehicle, pushing the lock down, and then lifting the door handle to be sure that it was secure. Lee did the same and then headed for the front door of the complex.

"Lee, is it all right if I go over to Salima's for an hour or so?" Mariah asked. Her orange eyed elder brother glanced briefly at her as he held open the door before saying, "You may, sis, just make sure you're not more than a couple of hours." When Mariah opened her mouth to retort, Lee smirked, "And don't think that I don't know how caught up the two of you can get in talking." Mariah stuck her tongue out and began to hurry up the stairs toward Salima's apartment. Before she got out of sight, Lee heard a spoken thank you, and smiled at his younger sister...because that thank you meant so much more than she let on every time it was spoken.

The Wongs were without parents, unlike Salima, who lived with her Grandmother. They had died in a landslide that had destroyed their home. All of this took place in an ancient, little known village in China. Their parents had moved to Japan after Mariah turned twelve, and were visiting the occupants of the village, when heavy rains that had occurred the day before finally took their toll on the mountainside that the town was built near. Mariah had almost been crushed by a large tree that had been caught in the rubble that slid toward the homes of the villagers, but Lee had pushed her out of harms way, and they both hid behind the trunk of the tree that was in the center of the village, the landslide causing havoc around them, listening to the heavy breathing of the other sibling as they tried to protect themselves.

Though she had been only fourteen, and her dark haired brother only sixteen, Mariah was permitted to be cared for by Lee, as the elders believed that they would heal best in Japan, far away from the place where the incident happened. From then on, Lee didn't smile very much, so Mariah, in an effort to make her brother smile, did everything that she could to make him happy.

They were poor, and had some trouble collecting the money for their bills, so they conserved as much energy as they possibly could, and spent the money that Lee's job earned on only the necessities. Mariah has told Lee, time and again, that she could get a job, but the dark haired man would have none of it. He didn't want Mariah to grow up too fast...he wanted more for her than his own fate.

Mariah stopped in front of her red haired friend's apartment door, knocking twice. An elderly woman answered the door. Shina was sixty-two years old, and had a head of curly white hair, and large glasses framing her squinting eyes. "Oh, Mariah, Salima is in her room. Just head on up there." she said softly. The pink haired teen nodded and politely bowed to the woman, starting for the hallway.

She rapped her knuckles sharply on Salima's bedroom door, but received no response, so she shrugged and walked right in. The redhead was sitting on her bed, facing away from the pink haired girl, doing her homework. Mariah's feline-like eyes took on a glint as she used her unique stealth to quietly tiptoe behind her prey, before pouncing onto the bed beside the girl, causing her to yelp in startlement.

"Mariah!" Salima began, a reprimanding look finding its way onto her startled face, but then remembered the mash note that had been distracting them so much earlier, "Who was he? Was he handsome? He's not a nerd is he? Do you have a date?" Those questions were fired, along with many more, at the wide-eyed teen sitting next to her. Mariah then held up a hand, silencing her overexcited friend.

"I showed up, a half an hour late because of detention, and exchanged words with the most handsome man I have ever seen! He had crimson eyes that seemed to see right into my soul, and such soft looking grey and navy hair! I wanted so badly to touch it-"

"Wait a minute...the only person in the school with hair and eyes like that is..."Salima trailed off as she realized who, exactly, had been waiting at the flagpole."Hiwitari Kai!" she asked, dumfounded. Mariah merely nodded, a grin quickly making itself known on her lovely features. Salima put a hand to her mouth, "Oh my God, Mariah, do you know what this means? It means that you'll be dating the most popular Senior in school!"

Mariah pondered this notion for a moment before replying, "I suppose I'll have to get protection from his stalkers, then?" Salima stared, surprised at her nonchalant attitude about this all. "How can you be so calm? This is Hiwitari Kai that we're talking about! He is renowned throughout the school as the singularly most popular, handsome, and rich semi-Goth that the school has ever seen! He is a kickboxing expert, has the top grades in the school, and writes beautiful poetry! Why are you so calm!"

Mariah laughed at her best friend's outburst, her pink hair bouncing on her shoulders with the intensity of her laughter. "And now you're laughing!" Mariah wiped a tear from her eye, "Haha...Hiwitari Kai is just another guy, nothing different about him." The muddy-brown eyed girl raised one of her thin red eyebrows, "You're kidding, right? Nothing different about him, huh?"

Mariah started to nod her head, but had to stop, "Well, he _was_ very polite towards me, and he never had to be told to pay more attention to my face than my breasts." Salima smirked, "So he isn't just interested in your body, that's different than most of the losers that slip letters into your locker. Go on, he has to have done more than not stare at your chest!"

"Lee tried to run him over after he held the door open for me." Mariah stated, amused by Salima's look. "Your brother didn't like him, then?" she asked, frowning slightly. The tangerine eyed grinned, "For once in his life, Lee didn't have too much of a problem with the man that I've chosen to date!" Salima looked shocked beyond all compare. Wong Lee was notorious for his distinct _hate_ for anyone that dared to try to get close to his little sister. He has been known to carry a baseball bat throughout the apartment whenever one of the teens entered their home, and, when it isn't in his hands as he frightens the boys to the ends of their wits, it is placed behind the driver's seat in his truck.

Mariah's lion-like older brother will offer broken bones, torn off limbs, gouged out eyes, castration, and his own bloody knuckles to anyone who hurts his sister in any way shape or form. He could be a very violent person, and once forced a Junior, who had grabbed her inappropriately and suggested dirty things to her, to eat the dirt that he was walking on. Lee had physically held his face down into the dirt and made him eat it, in front of the entire school. Afterwards, he broke both of the boy's wrists, but the embarrassment made more of a mark. Broken bones heal, but degrading punishment stays with you your entire life.

When confronted by Mariah about making him eat the ground, Lee responded by saying, "Aside from far too bold hands, he had a filthy mouth. I was just helping him clean it." What he had done to offend Mariah had, apparently, offended Lee more. The most important thing in his life, he has stated openly before, is his younger sister, and _no one_ was going to take her away from him that he didn't see as fit.

"Your _older brother_ didn't have a problem with him! But Kai is such a badass, why would your brother trust someone like _that_, no matter how handsome or polite he is, to be with you!" Mariah shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe its because Lee used to be a badass, too."

"What?" said the confused owner of the white-walled bedroom. Mariah sighed, "Lee used to be more of a loner than he is now. He changed, becoming more kind and understanding, because he met a girl, Konoka, and they fell in love. After Mom and Dad died, Lee didn't really have any time to spend with Konoka, all while trying to be a big brother and, in a sense, a parent to me. So, they both agreed, reluctantly, that they should stop seeing each other. After that, Lee began to revert back to his old, stern self."

Salima's mood was dampened by this new information. She had never known why Lee had to be such a prick to most people, but now she knew that he thought that he was being a good big brother. "He doesn't have enough time to let a girl make him act his age now, does he?" Mariah shook her head, "No, not with how many hours he puts in at work. Besides, Konoka has moved on. Even when my brother asked if she wanted to try dating again, she said that she needed to date an _actual_ nineteen year old, not one that thinks like they're an adult."

Salima frowned, "Wow, I didn't know that Lee had it so tough." Mariah nodded, and then looked around the room, lost in thought as she stared at the tiger, yin yang, and dragon posters that Salima had used to brighten up her room. "Hey, Mariah," the brown eyed girl started, trying to change the subject, but was interrupted by her best friend, "Don't worry about it, Lee will be just fine, and so will I! We've made it this far, right? I mean, I've finally attracted someone that Lee, even minorly, approves of!"

Salima couldn't help but smile at Mariah's grinning face, "Yeah, Mariah...Hell, its a miracle that you've found someone Lee approves of, however minorly it may be! If he had wanted to run him over, he would have, right?" Mariah laughed with her friend, and then glanced down at her wristwatch, "Sorry, Salima, I have to get home, Lee has to leave for his other job soon, and he wants me to stay inside the apartment with the door locked, and with a flashlight under a blanket on my bed!" she said jokingly.

"He got another job?" the redhead asked, sighing when Mariah nodded, "Yeah, he says that it'll be easier to pay the bills." Salima nodded, understandingly. Her grandmother got social security checks, but Salima worked the night shift at a fast food restaurant to keep the bills paid. "I have to leave soon, too. Do you think that he could give me a ride?" Mariah shrugged, "Probably, why? Do you want to get cozy with my brother?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

Salima laughed, "Well, you can't deny that your brother is handsome!" Mariah's face took on a disgusted look, "Ewwww! Yes, I can! I have a boyfriend now, which means that you can stop telling me how much you check out my older brother!" The other girl simply laughed at her best friend's reaction, and said, "All right, I'll try. Later, Mariah."

"See you, Salima." Mariah said with a smile, before heading out the door, stopping to bow and say thank you to Shina as well. She walked up the next flight of stairs until she reached apartment A9, and entered the door, taking off her shoes before walking any further into the apartment. "Hey, Lee?" she called out, trying to figure out where he was. Once she heard a noise from inside the kitchen, she knew that her brother was making a sandwich so that he wouldn't have to wait until after work.

She walked into her room, setting her messenger bag on her crimson futon, and looking around at the posters that Salima had given her to decorate her room with. Many were of tigers and wolves or dragons fighting to the death, while others were favorite band posters that Salima had found for the pink haired girl. The room was small, so she had little room for much more than a dresser for her clothes.

The younger Wong sibling walked into the kitchen to see her older brother eating his sandwich while sitting on the kitchen counter. He waved, not wanting to talk with his mouth full. "Salima wants to know if you'd be willing to drop her off at work, too, when you leave."

Lee swallowed his mouthful of peanut butter and jelly sandwich, "Yeah, what time does she get out?" Mariah thought for a moment, "Today is Thursday, so, about the same time you do." The dark grey haired man nodded, "Then I'll take her home, as well."

Mariah got another glint in her eye, one that her brother didn't like, "What's that look for, little sis?" the one whom he was speaking to shrugged casually, "Oh, I don't know...say, there wouldn't be anything going on between you and my best friend, would there?" Lee nearly choked on the next bite of his sandwich, "What the Hell gave you that idea!" he responded, blushing scarlet as his golden eyes took on a lighter hue.

"Well," Mariah began, "You seem to like having her around, and are a lot nicer to her than you are to most people." she said logically. Lee frowned at her, "She's your best friend, aren't I supposed to be nice to her?" he defended. Her orange eyes contained amusement as she began to walk away, "Your blush gave you away, big bro! No use denying it!"

"Hey, wait a damn minute!"

"Don't you have to get to work?" This question threw him off, and he looked down at his watch, ate the last bite of his sandwich, grabbed his jacket, and glared at his little sister before swallowing and saying, "We'll continue this later."

"Why bother when you've got a lady to escort to a restaurant? Hey, this kind of sounds like a date..." Mariah wondered out loud, causing her brother to blush again, "Oh, come on! She turns eighteen in four months, so you can't say that she's too young for you!"

"Remember to lock the door." Lee said, before exiting the apartment, ignoring Mariah's last statement. The pink haired girl grinned and said, "He must be in a particularly good mood today, or something." before heading toward the couch to watch a little cable before starting on the dishes.

Needless to say, Lee and Salima's trip to their works was more awkward than ever before...  
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Yes, I know, this is not a very romantic chapter. I also apologize for the sad parts, but they explain what has led the characters to live like they do, and act how they do.

I also, doubly, apologize for my tardiness, but I could not access my data, as I got stuck visiting relatives in a different city for six weeks!

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter of "Doesn't Know She's Perfect", and will review and give me your thoughts!


	4. Lip Reading & Manipulation for Beginners

Doesn't Know She's Perfect

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Beyblade, for no one could possibly fathom the utter havoc I would unleash within it...  
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Chapter Three  
Lip Reading and Manipulation for Beginners  
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Kon Ray glanced anxiously at the clock, watching as the minute hand creeped its way across the face. His foot was tapping impatiently upon the floor, which caught the attention of a very bored Russian teenager at the next table. Kai closed his crimson eyes and sighed, trying to ignore the fact that the table was shaking slightly because of the nervous boy's movements.

They were about halfway through class, but the algebraic formulas on the blackboard were not enough to distract Ray, even though his favorite and best subject was Algebra. Kai had finished the assigned homework two minutes before hand, while the raven haired teen had yet to start the assignment.

"Ray, stop." Kai commanded, finally losing his patience with the incessant shaking. The orange eyed male looked over at his best friend, as if suddenly realizing that he was there. "Sorry Kai, I'm just nervous. What if meeting Mariah turns out to be a bad idea?" he asked, picking up his pencil and sticking the eraser end in his mouth.

The slate and navy haired man watched as his friend bit down on the utensil, "Take that out of your mouth, who knows where it's been." Ray did as he was told, looking at the fresh bite marks that adorned his pencil. "I do too know where it's been, it's my pencil after all. Come on, Kai, answer my question." The Russian raised a grey eyebrow, "The fact that the pencil belongs to you is exactly why I'm warning you," at this he received a dirty look, "And if it turns out to be a bad idea, then I wrote that poem and talked to her for absolutely nothing. For your sake, she'd better like you."

Kai's statement only deepened Ray's glare, "Seriously, what am I going to do if she doesn't like me? I haven't dated anyone for awhile, I'm a little rusty." The previously lowered eyebrow was raised again, "Only a _little_ out of practice?" Another dark look was sent toward the taller of the two. "In all seriousness, Ray, the most advice that I can and will ever give to you is that reality bites. You have to make the most with what you get, or you may just find that you have nothing left to work with."

"And when that happens, I'll move in with you, 'cause you're rich and all." Ray said with a grin, chuckling slightly at the frown that wove its way onto the Hiwitari heir's face. "There is no way in Hell that you will _ever_ move in with me, not even if swine flew." In the more English-literate teen's mind pictures of chaos reigned supreme at the thought of living with such a person.

"What if she doesn't show up? What if she's mad at me for not being there the first time? What if she ends up hating me?! What if-" Ray's questioning was silenced by a held up hand. Kai smirked, "Enough with the 'what ifs', Ray. If she doesn't show up, is mad at you or ends up hating you, then you'll mope about for a month, annoy the Hell out of me, and chase some other girl in a skirt after everything is said and done. Simple as that. Now do your homework, and quit chewing on the _damn_ pencil!"

Ray grinned sheepishly, extracting the pencil from his mouth, yet again. That pencil was then put to paper as the Chinese man worked out the mathematical problems. If anything, Ray was one of the best students to ask for help when it came to the many forms of mathematics. Kai was still the best in the class, but his best friend was a close second.

Five minutes later, though, the raven haired teen's leg was shaking again. Kai noticed the rattling and growled slightly, once again stopping the feline-like boy from proceeding in his tapping. There was another nervous grin sent his way, and the Russian pulled out his English notebook, about to attempt to finish the essay that was assigned in English.

Kai flipped through his papers, trying to find his assignment, when a small piece of pink paper was tossed on top of his notebook from the table next to his and Ray's. A sigh escaped him as he glared down at the third note that had been passed to him today. He was lucky today, though, he usually receives at least four more than that by now. In cursive on the front of the accursed mash note was "To: Kai, From: Rumiko". That name was one of the few that actually struck chords of emotion inside of Hiwitari Kai. The particular emotions that were summoned were disgust, anger, and exasperation.

This was the second mash note today that he had received from Rumiko, his richest and most persistent stalker. Judging from the number of notes that he receives per week from her, Kai could almost say that she spends most of her time writing the sap-filled papers. The ocean haired Junior, luckily, lived on the opposite side of town from the Russian, but that didn't stop her from finding ways to his house. After two weeks of seeing her waiting for him on his doorstep in the mornings and afternoons, Kai had finally decided that enough was enough and told her that the authorities would be called if she didn't stay off of his property. Eventually, Kai had to have her number blocked on his cell phone, as Ray had accidentally divulged the information to her. If he hadn't, she would've been calling him at all hours of the night.

The emerald eyed girl's family was not as wealthy as her obsession, which may have been why she hunted him so, although his devilish features were quite attractive to Rumiko, as well. Even if she wasn't in his class, as he was a grade older than she, the annoyingly persistent woman always found a way to send him a note or two.

_'Another one...how wonderful.'_ Kai's thought rang sarcastically inside his mind, _'Might as well just throw this away with the other two...maybe if I got a girlfriend my stalkers would leave me to my own business?'_ The thought was only there a moment before a frown crossed his face, _'No, that would only make matters worse...'_ Suddenly, the urge to smack his head against the desk presented itself to the teen. No matter how appealing the notion may have seemed, however, Kai would not stoop to such a low level of posture and composure.

The bell rang, snapping Kai out of his thoughts and taking Ray away from his tranquil algebra and stuffing him back into the realm of nervousness. "Kai, will you wait with me again?" the Chinese teen asked in apprehension. "I was at school yesterday for forty minutes longer than necessary yesterday and I've no intentions of repeating that event." the poet answered with a growl.

"Come on, Kai, I'll need a ride home!" Ray begged beginning to get on his knees again, only to have his plot foiled as Kai grabbed his notebook and messenger bag, steeping out of the long haired boy's reach. "You still owe me for the time I spent at the flagpole with your new girlfriend yesterday, Ray. Why should I drive you home, without your reimbursement first?"

"Just tell me what I can do to repay you and I'll do it. I'll even suc-" a hand was clapped over the louder one's mouth. Ray's eyes traveled up the arm, over the spiked bracelet, past the black Linkin Park band t-shirt, and finally fell on the deep frown that sunk into his horrified friend's mouth. Kai tightened his strong grip on Ray's mouth, pinching his jaw in the powerful grasp of anger as he growled, "What did I tell you yesterday about saying _shit_ like that around me? _Don't_ do it again, or I'm going to kick your ass and then _drag_ you home behind my car at the speed of one hundred and twenty miles per hour, _understand_?!"

The Russian removed his hand after squeezing a little tighter, and began to exit the classroom. "Kai, is that a yes?" Ray called after him, picking up his textbook and book bag. Kai, once again, ignored him, merely flipping him off over his shoulder.

Ray grinned at his silent victory. Sure, there were many areas of thought process in which he didn't excel, but one thing that he _could_ do was trick people into giving him what he wanted. When it came to tricking Kai, all he had to do was suggest any form of love or sexual relations between the Russian and anyone else, as love and sex didn't sit so well with the slightly older man.

Kai didn't like touching those subjects, so he steered clear of them as often as he possibly could. Though the crimson eyed teen was very good at psychology, Ray had taken quite the interest in it as well. And even if he didn't know too much about the complex thing that is Kai's mind, he knew enough to manipulate him into doing little things such as driving the Chinese boy home. It's not like the kickboxing expert didn't have enough money for gas, right?

The disgruntled teen walked straight out the main doors, not even bothering with his locker. Why should he? He never uses it, anyway. Kai quickened his pace as he toted his bad to his Mustang. He wasn't even really aware that he was hurrying, as the only thing on his mind was the events that yesterday held in front of his nose, mocking him for being so foolish. In his brain he watched a flashback of himself reciting poetry to someone that he had never really talked to before. The saddest part of it all was that the rewind button was stuck on the remote control to his mental process, so he watched the event roll gaily before his eyes over and over again.

The Russian suddenly realized that he had reached his car. He shook his head, making his grey and navy hair fall in front of his face a little. His reflection stared back at him in the tinted window, and he grunted slightly. _'I really just need to stop thinking,'_ Kai thought, _'It could be terminal to my health if I continue to see only the mistake that is yesterday...'_

Kai shoved his key into the lock, opening the door to his dark vehicle. He set his messenger bag in the back seat, but then caught himself staring out the window. Mariah had arrived, and Ray was there to meet her. _'Time to see how he'll handle the fact that Miss Wong believes that she is supposed to be meeting _me_ there...'_ he thought. Kai didn't like that fact, but it would surely be interesting to get on Ray's nerves for once. _'Consider it indirect revenge...'_ Kai smirked as the thought of finally getting through Ray's easy going and friendly shield crossed his mind.

Because Kai had his door closed by now, he couldn't actually hear what they were talking about. There was one skill that few knew that Kai possessed, though, he could read lips. He exercised this ability now as he watched Ray's calloused mouth move in response to Mariah's more delicate lips.

"Ray? Where's Kai?" she asked. Ray shrugged, "Hiding out in his car, most likely. Why should he be here?" This question raised a slight blush to Mariah's cheeks, "Well, he was the one who met me here yesterday."

"Oh, that. Well, I wasn't able to meet you here, so Kai waited for me." Ray responded, satisfied with his answer. Or he was until Mariah posed another question to him, "Where were you then? If you are, indeed, the one that wrote the letter and poem?" Kai gripped the steering wheel at the mention of the poem being Ray's work.

Ray clumsily looked around his brain for a good answer. He couldn't just tell her that he was in the bathroom, because she might appreciate the knowledge of how his bowels moved. So he glanced quickly over to the dark car where he was almost certain his best friend was smirking at the predicament that the Chinese boy had gotten himself into.

_'What would Kai say in a situation like this? Wait, Kai's never been in a situation like this...well, shit...maybe if I act like that melancholy jackass then she'll think I'm cool. Why shouldn't she, it works with everyone else?'_ Ray thought, carefully putting together what he thought was the best answer.

"I had other matters to attend to after school, and you were late." he said gruffly, but with a smile. Kai frowned at Ray's horrible imitation of him, _'Idiot...now she's going to think that your "other matters" were more important than her...and I don't sound like that...'_ he thought. Although Kai had never dated anyone before, he knew a lot about what girls liked. He knew this mostly because he used to actually _read_ some of the mash notes that he received when he first moved to Japan. That was a habit which he quickly tied up and shot.

"Oh," said Mariah quietly, "So you're my secret admirer?" Her question was received by an earnest nod, "That I am, Mariah." Mariah smiled a little, _'Maybe he had detention or something? Ray has always been nice to me, too. Who knows, maybe there's a poet hidden under all of that testosterone?'_ she thought, her smile becoming brighter, "My brother is working, so I'll probably be free tonight, if you'd like to go out somewhere?"

Ray smiled, "Would I ever! How about you call me around seven, and we'll make it a date?" He reached into his deep pockets, searching for a pen. Suddenly the pink haired girl pulled out a pen and a memo pad, tapping his shoulder to get his attention as he looked frantically for a pen in his backpack. "Thanks!" he said with a smile, showing off his sharp canines.

He quickly wrote his number on the pad of paper, handing back the utensils as a very impatient Russian honked the horn twice. Ray looked exasperatedly over at the Mustang, "I have to go, but it would make my day if the prettiest girl in school would give me a call later, even if we can't go out tonight?" Mariah blushed and nodded her head, hearing Kai starting up the car and honk once more. "Tell Kai I said hello." she laughed slightly.

"Oh, I'll tell him that and more." Ray spoke darkly, smiling quickly and waving over his shoulder as he ran toward the vehicle. He attempted to lift the handle of the door, but it only rose halfway, proving that Kai had, like so many times before, locked him out. "Kai, unlock the door!" he shouted through the window, banging his fist lightly on the pane.

Ray glared into the car to see his crimson eyed friend smirking, moving his hand to the stick shift. "'Come on, Kai!" The said teen flipped him off, and then proceeded to slowly drive away. Ray flipped him off when he stopped twenty feet away, and began his trek toward the dark car.

Kai was still smirking in amusement once Ray actually opened the door. The Russian glanced past the Chinese to see Mariah laughing softly into her hand, which only provoked the smirk to become more pronounced. "Ray, how are you going to be picking her up tonight?" he asked, his expression giving away nothing, as his smirk slid off of his face.

"I'm going to drive over to her house and pick her up. We may go to that new pizza parlor, or maybe go catch a movie-"

"You don't have a car." Kai stated bluntly, driving out of the parking lot just as a familiar pick up truck entered. Ray grinned, glancing nervously at the slate and navy haired man out of the corner of his eye, "That's where you come in." Kai wasn't at all phased by this revelation, he merely shook his head lightly and said, "There is no way in _Hell_ that I would ever let you borrow my car. Not even for _five minutes _would I let you sit behind the wheel of this Mustang. So I suggest that you get used to staying in the passenger seat, Ray, because the answer is no."

"I knew you were going to say that, which is why I have devised a backup plan." Kai glared at Ray's confidence, "If you do _anything_ gay, I will make sure that you never walk again due to the boot shoved up your ass." he stated icily. The Chinese man's grin only widened, "You're the one suggesting gay things, what with the shoving of items up my ass."

Ray noted that Kai's knuckles were white as he resisted the urge to bash the black haired boy's head into the window. "Or...you could pick her up and then stop by my house?" he suggested, changing the topic onto a less frustrating topic. Kai's grip lessened on the steering wheel, and he scoffed at the notion, "Hell no. I dealt with her enough _yesterday_, and I put up with you enough _every _day."

"Please, Kai? I'll never ask you for anything again, I promise!" Ray's pleads only made the kickboxing expert growl lowly, "That'd be a first." The Chinese boy only became more desperate, "I'm _begging_ you, Kai! My dad's car is getting fixed up, so I can't borrow his!"

"Walk." Kai smirked, the image of a very tired Ray showing up on Mariah's doorstep amusing him. Ray frowned, "I can't do that! She lives on your side of town!"

"So what you're asking me to do is to pick her up and then drive across town, just so you - no, so _I _can take the both of you to the movies?" To this, Ray nodded, satisfied that Kai had actually been listening to him, "That's exactly what I'm asking you to do. So, what do you say?"

"No."

"Why?!" Ray asked, beginning to feel exasperated. Kai glanced briefly at his friend before turning his eyes back to the road, "Because there's nothing in it for me."

"Sure there is!" Ray said energetically, which caused him to receive a raised, grey eyebrow from Kai. "And what would this unsaid factor which is beneficial to myself be?" His question stopped Ray's seemingly endless energy. _'Ray's been hanging out with Tyson too much...that pig is starting to rub off on him...'_ Kai thought, grimacing slightly as he remembered how much the food hung from Tyson Granger's mouth as he ate.

The times that Tyson had eaten at the same table as Hiwitari Kai were very short, disturbing, and painful. The navy haired teen almost never closed his mouth. It was open both when he was eating and when he wasn't. When he ate, food was nearly inhaled. Another thing that Tyson did a lot of was picking off of other person's trays. He tried this with Kai, but only once. He never tried again because the Russian had promptly grabbed his wrist and forced it backward near to the point of breaking.

The energetic Junior ate with Kai only a few more times, which was mostly his own attempt to make the crimson eyed Senior feel left out. Needless to say, Tyson didn't accomplish this.

"Ummm...well...no, that won't work..." Ray muttered from the passenger seat, earning a slight smirk from the driver. The Chinese boy noticed this and frowned slightly, "Oh, come on, Kai! It's not like you've ever expressed your want of anything!"

"True. That fact undoubtedly makes your predicament even more difficult."

"It does...do you derive pleasure from seeing me suffer?"

"Yes." Kai responded bluntly, and it was true. He loved to make people work for his favors, and Ray had gotten away with convincing Kai to drive him everywhere with out doing anything in return for far too long. "You're a very cruel person, do you know that?"

"I do. In fact, I revel in my ability to cause others pain. Now then, back to the matter at hand: how do you think to convince me to pick up Mariah and _then_ drive over to your home?" Ray took a moment to respond to that, "Well...I'm not quite sure," Kai glanced in his direction and he switched tactics, "But I swear on the Kon family honor that I will repay you somehow when the time calls for it!"

A scowl managed to work its way onto Kai's face as he contemplated the possibilities that this situation held. There weren't many, and he felt no obligation whatsoever to help Ray, but he felt that this may further enforce the reasoning that Kai was _not_ Mariah's secret admirer.

Soon, Ray's two story home was in sight. The teen sighed, lifting the door handle as he prepared to exit the luxurious automobile. "Come on, Kai, _please_?" He received no response and proceeded to open the door. He stepped out onto the pavement that served as his family's driveway, and grabbed the corner of the door, starting to shut it.

"Call me if she can't go out tonight, I don't want to waste gas over nothing." Kai said just before Ray shut the door. The raven haired teen grinned widely, "Thanks, Kai!" With that, the grey and dark blue haired Senior drove off, heading home to walk Ward and await his friend's call.  
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With Mariah  
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Wong Mariah glanced at her brother from the passenger seat of his beat up truck. She knew that Lee had been taking her new relationship with "Hiwitari Kai" fairly well. But how would he react if she were to tell him that Kon Ray, who would undoubtedly not be well liked by her brother if he caught wind of how much of a prankster and slacker Ray could be, was her _real_ secret admirer?

Ray was from a fairly wealthy family, which _everyone_ who attended Hirashi High School knew, so he was well dressed, well groomed, often liked, respectful to a certain extent, and quite popular. The negative aspects of the boy was that he was very forgetful, slacked off a lot of the time, pulled pranks on persons with high authority, was known to get into fights, and cared more about athletics and math than any other class, which caused his grade point average to be below average for the most part.

"So, how was work today?" the pink haired woman asked, hoping for a good response. Sadly, she didn't receive her wish, "Fine, if you don't count the traffic, which made me late, and _both_ of my bosses bitching me out for one _stupid_ thing after another! I was almost _fired_, but one of my co-workers vouched for me, Hiroshi, I think was his name, and, _how could I forget_ that I almost got run over but some asshole who didn't want to pay for his gas!" All of this was said in a low tone, Lee's growling growing steadily louder with every problem.

Mariah looked sympathetically over at her brother; he rarely ever caught a break, and today was just another one of those days. "I'm sure that tonight will be much better...and, hey, now you know how all of my would-be suitors have felt when you've tried to run them over!" she said this with a light chuckle, which earned a slight smirk from her orange eyed brother. "They're lucky that they got out of my way in time. Speaking of which, where does that new secret admirer of yours live?"

The younger Wong sibling was thankful that Lee had conceded with the change of topic, but cocked an eyebrow at his odd question nonetheless, "Why must you know where he lives?"

"In case he makes a _mistake_." Lee responded readily and truthfully. Mariah was a very intelligent girl, and knew that whatever her brother intended to do if anything happened that he so deemed as wrong or disgraceful. She also knew that there would be blood if that ever happened. "Well, he lives on the other side of town."

Lee nodded in satisfaction, "Great, then he won't be over here when I'm not." Mariah took a deep breath, "Lee, do you remember Hiwitari Kai?" Her brother snorted, shrugging as he said, "Yeah, why?" The black shirted girl exhaled slowly, "Well, what do you find objectionable about him?" The dark haired man looked skeptically at her, "Is this a trick question? You're not going to hit me if I answer, are you?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Yes," Mariah sighed, "I promise I won't hit you." Lee took one last glance at her before restoring his attention to the road. "Hmm...this is a first. My little sister wants me to declare openly, or more openly than I have before, all of the faults that I see in her suitor...I'm almost at a loss of what to say."

"Lee, just do it!"

"Hey now, I said 'almost at a loss'. That doesn't mean I can't state a few, at the very least. Let's see...I've heard about him, he's a kick boxer, right? So that means that he's a fighter and probably gets into trouble a lot. You said that he takes one of your poetry," he paused searching for the right word, but since he couldn't find it he continued, "Things, so he can't be too unintelligent, I suppose...hmmm...he's the heir to some multi-billion dollar whatsit, isn't he? Well then, he may some snob that prances around flaunting their cash for all I know...that's all I can really say, Riah..."

Mariah smiled inwardly at the nickname, but scowled anyway, "You know, not all of that was bad stuff. I'd have thought that you would've had much more to say." Lee sighed, "The only other thing I see wrong with him is that he's taking away my little sis." This made her smile, "Awww...I knew you had a heart somewhere behind that scowl!"

"Yeah, yeah...what I mean is that I never actually take the time to learn anything about your boyfriends," he shuddered slightly at the word, "And even when I do take any time, then I jump to conclusions and race off to protect you from unlikely harm. I guess that I should probably give this 'Kai' a chance at the very least." Lee said all of this quietly, but he knew that Mariah heard every word of it. She showed this by leaning over and kissing his cheek and then giving him a little smirk, "Did Salima tell you to say all of that?"

"Nope." Lee responded quickly. A little too quickly, in Mariah's opinion. "Liar." Lee let out a small chuckle, "So? She was right, though, when I think of it." The pink haired one smiled, "Do you really think so? Does that mean that your willing to give my boyfriends more of a chance than an immediate declaration of them as a rapist, or a welcome baseball bat to the face?"

"Hey, I thought that he was a burglar! It only happened that one time and I apologized!" he glared at his laughing little sister. It was true, though; Lee had thought that one of Mariah's past friends was a burglar because he came over to the apartment dressed in full paintball gear, ready to take the orange eyed girl paintballing. What he wasn't ready for was the bat that swiftly connected with his jaw. The boy soon found out that those masks will protect you from paintballs, but not an older brother. The relationship died almost immediately after that.

"But, _yes_, I'll attempt to give your suitors more than a glance before I threaten to kick their asses." Lee smirked as his sister smiled, "Thank you for trying to sound nice about it."

"Not a problem. Anyway, what was the point of asking me what I didn't like about your boyfriend?" A raised, dark eyebrow accompanied the query, and Mariah blushed. "Well. Hiwitari Kai is not my boyfriend." A frown escaped Lee, and he growled slightly, "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing!" the younger sibling insisted, "I was simply mistaken when it was he whom I met at the flagpole after school yesterday." There was still a scowl present on her brother's face as he asked, "How so?" Mariah sighed, "Kai only met me there because my _real _secret admirer couldn't be there at the time. It was a mistake in communication on both of our parts."

Lee pondered this news in silence. It was surprising, but Lee had promised to give Mariah's new boyfriend a chance. Even though her suitor was not Hiwitari Kai, the lion-like brother would keep his promise._ 'It's a pity, though...Hiwitari appeared to have good taste in music...' _he thought before asking, "So...who's the 'real' boyfriend?"

"Kon Ray." Mariah said this quickly and hoped that Lee had no clue who the Chinese boy was. Finally, her prayers were answered as her brother responded with a shrug, "I've no idea who in the Hell that is, but I will, most assuredly find out." Lee said all of this calmly, which proved that he was truly attempting to own up to his words.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll get to meet him eventually. I've known Ray for a couple years, he would never hurt anyone...especially if they had a big brother that liked to inflict pain." Mariah reassured the Chinese man, grateful that he had taken it so well.

Lee parked on the side of the road from their apartment complex, being sure that all of the doors were locked and that he grabbed his favorite weapon out from behind his seat so he could take it inside. "I'm going to miss using this old thing..." he mused aloud, making his little sister chuckle a little.

"Lee, can I go-"

"Yes, you can visit Salima. Does she work today?" Lee interrupted, waving off her question with one of his own. "I think so, but I'll check with her while I'm there. Why, are you that into her already?"

"Shut up, Riah. I need to thank her for the advice."

"And the dinner?"

"She told you about that?" Lee asked sheepishly, "Oh well, that's the reason that I came home later than usual. Maybe my cold shoulder can be defrosted a little, who knows?" His little sister laughed, "Thanks, Lee. I'll be home before you leave for work. And I'll bring Salima over so that you don't have to walk up the stairs!"

"Yeah, thanks!" Lee shouted after her.

In Salima's Bedroom

Mariah lay on the bed next to her red haired best friend's feet, whom was very perplexed with the entirety of the situation. "So...Kon Ray is your secret admirer?"

"Yes."

"And Lee is okay with that?"

"Yes." the pink haired girl responded. Salima rolled onto her side and stared down at the other end of the bed toward Mariah. "And you're okay with..."

"You and my brother?" Mariah finished, "Of course! I say that it's about damn time he got a girlfriend and lightened up a little! And who better to help him do that than the Queen of the Slackers herself?" The brown eyed girl laughed, "This is so messed up. Have you asked Lee if you can go out with Ray tonight?"

The tangerine eyed woman propped herself up on her arms and said, "No, I will when I go home, though."

Kai's Bedroom (Some Time Later)

The mahogany eyed teenager set down the black leash, allowing Ward to run off into the house. He hadn't received a call yet, and he was really hoping that everyone would just leave him alone tonight. Ray would have none of it, apparently, because Kai's cell phone rang an hour later, just after Kai had finished his dinner.

One glance at the caller ID made Kai grimace, _'He's either calling to ask me to go pick her up, or he's calling the whole thing off...and I would most prefer it to be the latter...'_ he thought, scowling even in his mind. "What do you want, Ray?" he asked, making sure that his friend could hear the aggravation in his vocal chords.

"You'll still pick her up, right?" Kai held back a groan, "What's her address?"  
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Sorry about my tardiness in posting this chapter. I recently moved (AGAIN), and it took awhile for me to be able to hook up my computer, as it's an old house and most of the outlets don't support grounding prongs!

What I'm not sorry about is this somewhat-of-a-cliffhanger that I seem to have left you on! It is eleven pm, I am tired, I _still_ have Science homework to get done, and I have to go to school tomorrow.

I understand that many of you were expecting to read the "first date" chapter between Ray and Mariah, but it is not to be so until chapter five! This is my longest chapter yet, so I beg of you to not complain and feed me reviews!


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